1. Field of the Invention.
The present invention relates generally to therapeutic devices for the treatment of localized injury or pain and specifically, to a microwave actuable heating pad which can be applied to a localized area of the human body for treatment of pain and prevention of injury thereto.
2. Description of the Prior Art.
It is well known that for therapeutic effect, muscle tissue should be heated in some circumstances and chilled in others. For instance, sprained or strained muscle tissues should be chilled to reduce swelling and further damage. Ice packs of various forms are known in the medical art and are commonly applied to localized injury such as sprained or otherwise injured limbs. Small, specialized ice packs are known which are designed for application of cold to localized areas.
Similarly, a variety of devices are known in the prior art for applying heat to localized areas of pain in the human body. Such devices include hot water bottles, which are ordinarily made of flexible rubber, and which can also include insulating coverings for conserving heat when the hot water bottle is filled with hot water. For instance, see U.S. Pat. No. 2,072,564, issued Mar. 2, 1937, to May, entitled "Hot Water Bottle Cover." Other heating devices include electric heating pads in which a plurality of resistive heating elements are electrically actuated to provide a source of heat for treating localized areas of pain.
The prior art hot water bottle suffers from a variety of disadvantages. The device is cumbersome to use, since it is necessary to fill the interior of the bottle with hot water from a tap. Even with an insulating covering, the device lacks the ability to retain a significant amount of heat for a prolonged period of time. The electric heating pad, while more efficient in operation and heat transfer ability suffers from various limitations, such as the encumbrance which results from being attached to a power source by wires. Also, the electric pad can constitute a hazard from electrical voltage if used around water, such as in bath area.
A need exists for an improved device and method for applying heat to localized areas of the human body for the relief of pain and for the prevention and/or treatment of injury.
A need exists for such a device which is heat actuable without the presence of electric wires and which retains its heat transfer properties for a prolonged time period.